Anxiety is a common and natural feeling that everybody experiences. If anxiety is significantly interfering in your child's everyday life, then it is important to get help. Anxiety disorders can be treated effectively.

Appendicitis is a potentially serious condition. Go first to your family doctor or after-hours medical centre if you think your child has appendicitis symptoms. If you cannot get an appointment straightaway, go to your hospital's accident and emergency department.

Children and young people with ADHD may have poor concentration, poor control of impulses and can be overactive. This interferes with their ability to learn and socialise and can affect family functioning. Children with ADHD need support and understanding from family/whānau, teachers and the community.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that affects communication, social skills and behaviour. If your child does have ASD, there are services available to support you and your child.

A boil is a tender red lump on the skin which is caused by an infection of the hair root or sweat pore. Boils are not usually a serious problem. There is a small chance of your child becoming sicker if the infection spreads – if this happens you should take your child to your family doctor.

A series of 6 video clips featuring Melanie Mora and her family. Mel is mother to 3 boys - Jamie, Ryan and Ethan. She talks about her experience of receiving a post-birth diagnosis of Down syndrome for her middle son Ryan.

The foreskin is the loose skin that covers and protects the end of the penis. The foreskin and penis of an infant or child need no special care. A child's foreskin should never be pulled back (retracted) by force.

If your child has glue ear, it means there is fluid in the space behind the ear drum. The main symptom of glue ear is hearing difficulty. Hearing loss for long periods during the early years may affect speech and language development.

Head lice are small insects that live on the human scalp. They are common and cause concern and frustration for parents, children and young people. Dimethicone lotion is a very effective treatment that your family doctor can prescribe - check out our step by step guide.

Mild jaundice is common in babies but baby jaundice is not always normal. Every month a New Zealand baby is born with severe liver disease. If your baby has yellow skin or eyes and pale poo or dark (yellow or brown) wee, your baby needs a special blood test. See your doctor or midwife as soon as possible.

Kawaskai disease is a rare but serious illness affecting young children. The most striking feature is a high fever that comes and goes for at least 5 days. If you think your child might have Kawasaki disease you should take them to your doctor straightaway.

In the 5 hours between waking at 3am with a headache and 8am when her family had gathered at Palmerston North Hospital, 18-year-old Letitia (Tesh) Gallagher's body had battled meningococcal C disease and lost.

A diagnosis of mitochondrial disease can, understandably, be devastating. There will be many questions and emotions. This page is aimed at providing information and support for New Zealanders affected by 'mito', along with their family and friends.

If you think your child has been poisoned, call the New Zealand National Poisons Centre immediately on 0800 POISON (0800 764 766). Do not try to make your child vomit or give food or liquid until you have been given advice.

Poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis (PSGN) is a kidney disease that develops 10 to 14 days after a skin or throat infection. The main symptoms are blood in your child's wee and swollen ankles or puffy eyes.

Some parents worry that a sore red bottom may be caused by sexual abuse. Although that is a possibility, it is not the usual reason and there are lots of other things that are much more likely causes of a sore red bottom.

An abnormally fast heart rhythm (tachycardia) can arise from the upper or lower chambers of the heart. Tachycardias that involve the upper chambers are called supraventricular tachycardias (SVT). Supraventricular tachycardias are usually not dangerous.

If your child has learning or reading difficulties, is clumsier than usual for their age, screws their eyes up or tilts their head to see, or has frequent headaches, this may mean they have a vision problem.

Young babies with whooping can become very ill and end up in hospital. They can catch whooping cough from family members so make sure you, your older children and extended family are up-to-date with immunisations